Remote batteries for cold weather in Antarctica

[wm700293]

Looking for a way to remote the camera battery into my clothing (under an arm) to keep it/them warm for prolonged cold weather shooting. Is there a product available? (Either Canon or 3rd party)

[TTMartin]

---

@wm700293 wrote:
5D4 by the time I actually get to Antarctica.

---

Just be aware, Canon doesn't rate their dSLRs for particularly cold weather use. And with the extreme cold a couple of winters ago, there were a lot of cold related 70D shutter failures.

For example the 5D Mk III:

Operating Environment

Working Temperature Range

32-104°F/0-40°C

Working Humidity Range

85% or less

[wm700293]

I like the LANPARTE Portable Battery with Adapter solution, and am giving serious consideration to designing my own "camera cover" to insulate the camera body and lens. It would be like a rain cover, closing with Velcro, with room for both hands, etc. etc. 

Maybe I'll buy a cheap down-filled coat or jacket as the source of material. I don't think I'll need the "windows". I believe that properly done, this approach, along with the battery in my armpit, so to speak, would be good for a couple of hours outside, at least.

On the issue of home-designed power sources, I think that a full-wave bridge combined with an LM7805 would be sufficient to "knock down" the voltage coming in from a Canon BP-E4 or similar battery pack, but haven't looked into this much yet, hoping to find an already-engineered solution. 12V car batteries are out of the question, as are generators - this ain't a fashion shoot...

Thoughts?

wm700293

[TTMartin]

---

@wm700293 wrote:

I like the LANPARTE Portable Battery with Adapter solution, and am giving serious consideration to designing my own "camera cover" to insulate the camera body and lens. It would be like a rain cover, closing with Velcro, with room for both hands, etc. etc. 

Maybe I'll buy a cheap down-filled coat or jacket as the source of material. I don't think I'll need the "windows". I believe that properly done, this approach, along with the battery in my armpit, so to speak, would be good for a couple of hours outside, at least.

---

On one hand you are trying to extend your battery life because it is cold, I think your remote battery idea does that. On the other hand, you are trying to keep heat in the camera. I would disable or set the 'auto power off' on to 30 minutes. Keeping the electronics on inside the camera will go a long way toward keeping it operating correctly in a ultra-cold environment. 

[wm700293]

Sorry, I mis-typed above...should have said LM7808, output is 8 Volts, which is close enough to 7.5 to not be a problem (as suggested in an earlier response) The TO-220 package would be my preference here, as it is not terribly expensive in single lots.

wm700293

[wm700293]

Yes, but one must be sensitive to the effect of cold on the mechanical components as well, particularly the shttter mechanism.

wm700293

[kvbarkley]

Remember, down just insulates, it does not provide heat.

You could just shoot video all the time you are carrying it, and let it keep itself warm. 8^)

[wm700293]

Yeah but, I was going to sew (not myself) a "hand warmer" pocket into the insulating "jacket". I have a nice thin-profile hand warmer laying around somewhere in the cabin... a little lighter fluid, and i'm ready to go - it'll keep my hands warm, too.

wm700293

[RobertTheFat]

---

@wm700293 wrote:

I like the LANPARTE Portable Battery with Adapter solution, and am giving serious consideration to designing my own "camera cover" to insulate the camera body and lens. It would be like a rain cover, closing with Velcro, with room for both hands, etc. etc. 

Maybe I'll buy a cheap down-filled coat or jacket as the source of material. I don't think I'll need the "windows". I believe that properly done, this approach, along with the battery in my armpit, so to speak, would be good for a couple of hours outside, at least.

On the issue of home-designed power sources, I think that a full-wave bridge combined with an LM7805 would be sufficient to "knock down" the voltage coming in from a Canon BP-E4 or similar battery pack, but haven't looked into this much yet, hoping to find an already-engineered solution. 12V car batteries are out of the question, as are generators - this ain't a fashion shoot...

Thoughts?

wm700293

---

I'd be wary of home-designed equipment for such a specialized environment. You should be talking to people who have actually been there. They've been running those excursions for a while now, so there should be some with that experience on the photography forums. If nobody in this forum has been there, check out some of the others.

[wm700293]

Thanks, Bob…That's a very good point. I'll look into that avenue for further advice.

wm700293

[RobertTheFat]

---

@wm700293 wrote:
Thanks, Bob…That's a very good point. I'll look into that avenue for further advice.

wm700293

---

Incidentally, I seem to recall that one of those who had been there indicated (in one of the photography forums) that on his trip water was more of a problem than cold. Apparently the weather in the ocean near Antarctica is frequently awful, and windblown rain gets into pretty much everything. Some people's cameras got badly soaked when they tried to take pictures from the deck of the ship. And when you're on the ocean, you run the risk that any windblown water will have salt in it, which makes it more potentially damaging.